CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890

CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890 OVGS 5th Class K 4-6-0 1890 South African Class 05 4-6-0 1890
Midland System no. 293, renumbered 493, then OVGS no. 42, CSAR no. 319 and SAR no. 0319, as built
Type and origin ♠ - Coupled wheels, as built ♥ - Coupled wheels, retyred Power type Steam Designer Cape Government Railways (Michael Stephens) Builder Dübs and Company Serial number 2664-2683 Build date 1890 Total produced 20
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0 (Tenwheeler)  • UIC 2'Cn2 Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 28 in (711 mm) Coupled dia. ♠ 46 in (1,168 mm) ♥ 49 in (1,245 mm) Tender wheels 37 inches (940 mm) Wheelbase 40 ft 2+3⁄8 in (12,252 mm) ​  • Axle spacing (Asymmetrical) 1-2: 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) 2-3: 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)  • Engine 19 ft 1+3⁄8 in (5,826 mm)  • Leading 5 ft (1,524 mm)  • Coupled 10 ft (3,048 mm)  • Tender 10 ft (3,048 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 48 ft 1+3⁄4 in (14,675 mm) Height 12 ft 1+1⁄2 in (3,696 mm) Axle load: ​  • Leading 7 LT 15 cwt (7,874 kg)  • 1st coupled 10 LT 8 cwt (10,570 kg)  • 2nd coupled 10 LT 8 cwt (10,570 kg)  • 3rd coupled 9 LT 15 cwt (9,906 kg) Loco weight 38 LT 6 cwt (38,910 kg) Tender weight 28 LT 11 cwt (29,010 kg) Total weight 66 LT 17 cwt (67,920 kg) Tender type 3 axle Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 4 LT (4.1 t) Water cap. 1,950 imp gal (8,860 L) Firebox: ​  • Type Round-top  • Grate area 16.18 sq ft (1.503 m2) Boiler: ​  • Pitch 6 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1,943 mm)  • Diameter 4 ft (1,219 mm)  • Tube plates 11 ft 1+7⁄8 in (3,400 mm)  • Small tubes 185: 1+3⁄4 in (44 mm) Boiler pressure 150 psi (1,034 kPa) Safety valve Ramsbottom Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 90.96 sq ft (8.450 m2)  • Tubes 946.32 sq ft (87.916 m2)  • Total surface 1,037.28 sq ft (96.366 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 16 in (406 mm) bore 24 in (610 mm) stroke Valve gear Stephenson Couplers Johnston link-and-pin
Performance figures Tractive effort ♠ 15,030 lbf (66.9 kN) @ 75% ♥ 14,110 lbf (62.8 kN) @ 75%
Career Operators Cape Government Railways OVGS Imperial Military Railways Central South African Railways South African Railways Class CGR 5th Class, SAR Class 05 Number in class 20 Numbers Midland 291-308, Western 119-120 Delivered 1890 First run 1890 Withdrawn 1953

The Cape Government Railways 5th Class 4-6-0 of 1890 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

In 1890, the Cape Government Railways placed twenty 5th Class tender locomotives with a 4-6-0 Tenwheeler type wheel arrangement in mainline service on its Midland and Western Systems.^[1]

Twenty 5th Class 4-6-0 Tenwheeler type tender locomotives were delivered to the Cape Government Railways (CGR) from Dübs and Company in 1890. The locomotive was designed by Michael Stephens, Locomotive Superintendent of the Western System of the CGR, and was built to detailed designs prepared by the Salt River drawing office in Cape Town. Of the twenty locomotives in the Class, eighteen went to the Midland System to work out of Port Elizabeth, numbered in the range from 291 to 308. The other two, numbered 119 and 120, went to the Western System for service in the Karoo on the section between Touws River and Beaufort West.^[1][2]

The locomotive was a larger and improved version of the earlier 4th Class 4-6-0 tank-and-tender locomotive. As built, it had 46 inches (1,168 millimetres) diameter coupled wheels which were later retyred to a diameter of 49 inches (1,245 millimetres).^[1][2][3]

Compared to the second batch of 5th Class locomotives which were to be delivered a year later in 1891, it had a short smokebox on which the chimney was so close to the front of the smokebox that the headlight had to be mounted on a platform, attached to the front of the smokebox. The smokeboxes were later extended to suit South Africa's low-grade coal and to make room for wire-netting spark arresters.^[1][2]

The boilers had an operating pressure of 150 pounds per square inch (1,034 kilopascals) and were equipped with Ramsbottom safety valves.^[2]

The 5th Class proved to be very useful engines and were considered the first really efficient all-round locomotives in the Cape of Good Hope. They were used wherever the mainline had severe gradients and curves. Because of their greater power, the older 4th Class locomotives were gradually relegated to secondary duties.^[1][2]

In late 1896, eight of the Midland System's locomotives were sold to the newly established Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS), where they were designated 5th Class K and renumbered in the range from 41 to 48.^[1][4][5]

During the Second Boer War, control of all railways in the Orange Free State was taken over by the Imperial Military Railways. At the end of the war in 1902, the eight ex-OVGS locomotives came onto the roster of the Central South African Railways (CSAR), where they were renumbered in the range from 318 to 325.^[1][6]

In 1904, the CSAR reboilered two of these locomotives, numbers 319 and 322, with larger boilers and Belpaire fireboxes which were equipped with Drummond tubes. This increased their heating surface by 272.72 square feet (25.337 square metres) and, at a higher operating boiler pressure of 180 pounds per square inch (1,241 kilopascals), these two locomotives were able to easily haul the load of the next higher class. Since, by then, these locomotives were being withdrawn from mainline traffic, no more such reboilerings were carried out.^[1][7]

When the Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways, the CGR, the Natal Government Railways and the CSAR, were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Although the South African Railways and Harbours came into existence in 1910, the actual classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways was only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.^[4][8]

By 1912, sixteen of these locomotives survived, twelve on the CGR and four, including the two which had been reboilered, on the CSAR. They were considered obsolete by the South African Railways (SAR), designated Class 05 and renumbered by having the numeral 0 prefixed to their existing numbers.^[4]

During 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, military planners followed the example set by the British invading forces during the Second Boer War and identified a requirement for armoured trains. For this purpose, five Class 05 locomotives were specially protected with armour plate and named Trafalgar, Scot, Erin, Karoo and Schrikmaker. The armour-plating was fitted by the workshops in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Salt River. Their engine numbers are not known, nor whether they were from this Class or the Class 05 of 1891 or both.^[9]

In spite of being considered obsolete, some of the Class 05 locomotives survived as shunting engines in SAR service for another four decades, with some even getting reboilered while in SAR service. One confirmed example is no. 0506, which was still equipped with boiler no. 7244 of 1924 when it was withdrawn from service in the 1950s.^[10]

When they were eventually withdrawn in 1953, the Class 05 locomotives were the last of the obsolete engines to be still in SAR service.^[6]

The works numbers, CGR System, original numbers, renumbering and distribution of the Cape 5th Class of 1890 are listed in the table.^[1][4]

• 
  Midland System no. 295, renumbered 495, then SAR no. 0495, with extended smokebox, c. 1912

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